Researchers Critique WHO Mental Health Technology

1
Researchers critically examine the underlying assumptions and implications of a new WHO mental health technology designed to streamline psychiatric assessment internationally.

Young Adult Food Insecurity Linked to Poor Mental Health

1
A new study identifies significant links between food insecurity and sleep, anxiety, depression, and compromised wellbeing among young people in the United States

How Antidepressants Shape Young Women’s Sense of Self

17
Young women’s narratives indicate ways antidepressants have shaped their sense of self.

D-Cycloserine Supplement Does Not Add Much to Exposure Therapy

3
A closer look at a new study reporting that the supplement D-cycloserine improved anxiety when used with exposure therapy.

How Race and Class Impact Schizophrenia and Substance-Use Diagnoses

4
A new article explores how psychiatric diagnoses are differentially applied to people of different racial and class backgrounds.

Dissecting the DSM Debate: Researchers Analyze Critiques Across Audiences

10
A new study systematically explores critical reactions to the DSM-5 and identifies unifying themes.

Despite Claims, EPA Supplement Does Not Improve ADHD Symptoms in Youth

8
A new study reports that the supplement EPA improved ADHD symptoms but a closer look calls these results into question.

Parachute NYC Peer Support Program Presents Challenges and Opportunities

2
Anthropologists study Parachute NYC to identify challenges and opportunities for implementing peer support and Open Dialogue practices.

Psychotherapy Less Effective for People in Poverty and Those on Antidepressants

13
A new study finds poorer depression and anxiety outcomes in psychotherapy for people in economically deprived neighborhoods and those on antidepressants.

Hearing Voices Network Launches Family & Friends Support Group

4
One of the HVN's fundamental principles is that "the person having these experiences is in the best position to decide or discover what they mean" and thus each person must "not try to speak for" another. The challenge for a family group will likely be for members to move past speaking about our loved ones to find or imagine the space where we ourselves are liberated.

Parent Marijuana Use Associated With Substance Use in Children

5
A new study examines longitudinal, intergenerational patterns associated with marijuana use.

Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants

13
Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.

Training Health Workers in Therapy Leads to Improvements and Less Medication Use

1
A Nigerian study finds that more than three-quarters of patients improved, even when only 13% were prescribed medication.

Exporting Psychological Concepts Associated With Gender May Have Unintended Consequences

3
New qualitative research finds a shift in the meaning of gender as it enters the local lexicon of people in rural Malawi, in turn having negative ramifications for those it is meant to help.

How to Integrate Culture into Mental Health Care

5
Researchers explore how culturally responsive services can create greater equity in mental health care.

Psychiatry in Need of “Fundamental Rethinking”

21
Prominent researchers in psychiatry urge the field to move away from a rigid biological focus toward social and psychological perspectives to meet the needs of today’s world.

Collective Action Can Lead to Empowerment and Strengthened Relationships

1
Individuals who participate in efforts of collective action report changes in personality, behavior, and worldview.
Berlin Manifesto launch

Berlin Manifesto for Humane Psychiatry Released

43
Changing the mental health and psychosocial support system in Germany requires public debate about the ways our society should help and support people in mental crisis and with chronic mental health problems. We believe the driving force behind all help and support should be humanitarianism and respect for inalienable human rights.

Non-Medical Treatments for PTSD Effective, Study Suggests

8
Group-based MBSR and PCGT therapies effective as a complementary treatment for PTSD.

A Blueprint for an ‘Ecosocial’ Person-Centered Psychiatry

9
New article pushes for a shift from a psychiatry centered on brain circuitry toward an 'ecosocial' view of mind, brain, and culture.
mental health awareness

Building a Culture of Mental Well-Being

1
We used to turn to family, community, and religious/philosophical teachings to ease our despair. Now, one is expected to turn to psychiatrists and therapists. With depression rates rising throughout the world, modern society must find a way to enhance the individual’s capacity to build a meaningful, satisfying, and self-actualized life.

A Social Psychiatry Manifesto that Takes Social Context Seriously

11
A re-visioned approach to social psychiatry aims to understand the broad influence of social life on mental health.

Reforming Schools to Prevent Mental Health Issues

37
New research explores the use of broad-based school-integrated resiliency and mindfulness interventions to prevent mental health concerns before they occur.

New Review Finds Lancet Global Mental Health Report Misguided

6
A new critical review of the latest Lancet global mental health report finds that while the movement claims to take a public health approach in its rhetoric it continues to focus on culturally inappropriate individual-level interventions.

UN Expert Calls for Major Shift in Suicide Prevention Efforts on World Mental Health...

6
On World Mental Health Day, UN expert Dainius Pūras calls for a shift away from medical solutions toward a rights-based approach to make life “more liveable.” He calls for states to address societal determinants of mental health, promoting autonomy and resilience.